Monday Mystery #12: It’s Rita Hayworth!

As you can see, the mystery person was Hollywood beauty Rita Hayworth aka Margarita Carmen Cansino. With her at Houston Municipal Airport is her new husband, singer Dick Haymes.

The two arrived in Houston on Oct. 12, 1953, for Haymes’ two-week engagement at the Shamrock Hotel. The two had been married for about a month and had traveled the country extensively until their Houston visit. A Houston Chronicle article noted the two were looking forward to being able to settle down — if only for two weeks — for their “honeymoon.”

According to an Oct. 13 Chronicle article:

Only a small crowd was on hand at the airport to greet the celebrated couple, mostly because their time of arrival had been kept a closely guarded secret.

Most surprised in the reception group were the newsmen and photographers who had expected the couple to balk at pictures and interviews. Reports had reached town that Haymes had turned thumbs down on seeing newsmen on arrival here. But the couple were the most gracious celebrities to visit here in some time.

Riding to town with the couple, Mrs. Haymes told this reporter that she would stay here for the two weeks her husband will be singing at the Shamrock and that she will be in the supper club at each performance.

(I don’t know about you, but I suspect more people were inclined to see Haymes sing if they knew Hayworth was going to be in attendance.)

Trouble met the couple upon arrival in Houston as a $10,000 tax lien ($81,000 in today’s dollars) was filed against Haymes for income taxes due in 1952. This wasn’t Haymes’ first run-in over tax problems. The Argentine native also faced immigration issues.

Financial and domestic problems quickly took its toll on the couple and they split in 1955. Hayworth died in 1987, Haymes in 1980.

For those stumped by some of the clues, Hayworth starred in Gilda (YouTube link), which also starred Glenn Ford, who played Jonathan Kent in Superman. I thought about working in her link to a Stephen King novella, but that might have been too obvious!

Reader Karen was the first to guess correctly, followed by Kengath and Pete Sommers. In all, five got it right! I’ll be in touch in a day or two to get you your books.

I’ll probably have another book giveaway at the end of the summer.

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In a town where preservation can sometimes seem like a laughable concept, this week saw a number of successes when it came to securing Houston’s past.

First, Houston City Council on Wednesday approved the creation of three new historic districts: Glenbrook Valley, Heights South and Woodland Heights. The Houston Press noted that Glenbrook Valley is now the state’s first post-World War II historic district.

Then, HISD trustees voted to fund the renovation of the 1938 Settegast Estate Building, an Art Deco landmark off West Gray in the Fourth Ward. The building will become part of the new Carnegie Vanguard High School for gifted and talented students.

Finally, the original 1967 model of AstroWorld, which was recently offered for sale on Craigslist, was purchased by a local engineering firm and will be donated to the newly renovated Julia Ideson Building. There, it will be preserved and put on display.

Despite these accomplishments, there remain some failures and questions marks when it comes to preservation. The old downtown YMCA continues to undergo demolition. And landmarks like the Astrodome, Cage Elementary, Robert E. Lee Elementary, Frances E.W. Harper School and Alamo Elementary still face an uncertain future.